Actually…No Plot At All… Ep 16: Smell of Blood (II)

“I
can also recollect now, Sir…her hands were cold that day…much colder than other
days…like it had been dipped and taken out of chilled water…and…she also holds
my hand while leaving me to the door…and at that moment, while she holds my
hand, I smelt that odor…smell of blood…” Khurana said after a pause.

Bakshi
listened to it. He knows it was a big lead that Khurana has let out. But, at
that moment he just needs to be out of there. He just wants to be alone. At the
same time, but, he needs to solve this case as many big names from the high
strata of city society had got entangled and involved in this case.

In
last three years he had solved many complicated cases and that’s why he was
given charge of the case. He had to cancel his holiday, and had to come down
last day from the town. Till then, though, he didn’t doubt the occurrence and
she had never told or said him anything—not a hint also.

Khurana
asked suddenly, “Sir, is it a girl tormenting you…”

Bakshi
looked at the blind man’s glass and seeing his reflection on the dark glasses
he was scared. It seems there were some one else reflected on those glasses not
him.

“It
is done…for today…” Bakshi said while lighting a cigarette.

–xx–

Anna
looked at her daughter. She seems to be changing a little bit. This is, though,
the time of change. Seventeen she’s. But, this change is very much alarming.

“Are
you hiding something…from me…” she asked while putting the dinner plate in
front of her on the table.

Sunayana
looked at her mother. Her eyes were sleepy one—these days she’s feeling drowsy
and fatigue. At first she had thought it might be the blue that comes out of
love. Soon, but, she realized it was more than that. She wants to tell her Mama
what has happened but she couldn’t. Not out of being scared; it was a dilemma that
was holding her back. The dilemma of whether she is ready or he is or both of
them. And with that many small thoughts gathering up to form a big thought.

She
shook her hand and silently said nothing it was. Anna was going to asked her
few more questions but then she halts herself. Might be Kedar could help her.
He was the best friend of Sunayana. The friendship was such a deep and
trustworthy one that when Sunayana had her first menstrual cycle, she let it
know to Kedar.

She
remembers that noon. She was busy at the garden. Monsoon had just bid and the
autumn was arriving. Kedar called her from the front door; she ran, not in
hurry, but it had become her habit—waiting for Kedar—and running whenever he
comes. That noon she ran and found Sunayana with him. He let Sunayana sat down
on one of the couch, and taking Ana by side to the kitchen told her what had
happened. The cycle has started at the school, and Sunayana was so scared
seeing the blood she had ran to her Galpo Kaku to tell what had happen and to
search the reason.

After
dinner Sunayana walked up stairs to her room; though it was not walking but
dragging herself. Anna leaves a deep breath; a doubt was rising within her.

–x—

“Any luck with the case…Bakshi…” Commissioner
of Police asked.

His son’s name had also got entangled
in the case. He was allegedly the recent and last lover of Rukmini Devi. This
had created a scandal as Rukmini was thirty-four and the boy was twenty-seven.

“No, Sir…though Khurana, the blind man
and the witness, had sensed this smell of blood…and her cold hand…”

Commissioner guffawed and then licking
his mouth, he said, “that old man…he sense this…wow…and you grope that…”

Bakshi said, “he might be blind…he
might not have eyes…but he has ears…he has senses…extra sharp and alert one
from any other normal man…you…me…anyone…”

“H’m…so you are saying he has been
telling the truth…but, Bakshi, you just said he had extra alert…and what was
that…sharp senses…so couldn’t he murder the actress with help of that extra-things…”

“Yes, he can…where as he was visiting that house for last one month…I am going to take him to run a trial…there at the crime scene to see how he walk…how he react…” Bakshi said while lighting a cigarette, and leaving the smoke he continued, “and to-evening I want to question your son…now Sir do not deny that…if you want to get this case get closed…soon and rapidly…call and send him to the office…and don’t advise him to have a lawyer with him…I want to have a tete-a-tete with him…”